Radar system with balancing of the receiving channels over a plurality of radar chips

Abstract

A radar system includes a first radar chip having one or more receiving channels and a second radar chip having one or more receiving channels, wherein the receiving channels of the first and second radar chips each have an RF input port and are configured to provide, based on an RF input signal received at the RF input port, a corresponding digital baseband signal that is characterizable by at least one signal parameter. The radar system further includes a power divider configured to forward an RF signal to both a first receiving channel integrated in the first radar chip and to a second receiving channel integrated in the second radar chip. A processor is configured to determine information indicating a deviation between the signal parameter of the digital baseband signal of the first receiving channel and the corresponding signal parameter of the digital baseband signal of the second receiving channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A radar system, comprising:
 a power divider configured to forward a first radio frequency (RF) signal; 
 a first radar chip comprising a plurality of first receiving channels comprising first RF input ports,
 wherein only a single first receiving channel, of the plurality of first receiving channels, is configured to provide, based on the first RF signal, a first digital baseband signal associated with a first phase, and 
 wherein another first receiving channel, of the plurality of first receiving channels and different from the single first receiving channel, is configured to provide, based on a second RF signal, a second digital baseband signal; 
 
 a second radar chip comprising a plurality of second receiving channels comprising second RF input ports,
 wherein only a single second receiving channel, of the plurality of second receiving channels, is configured to provide, based on the first RF signal, a third digital baseband signal associated with a second phase, and 
 wherein another second receiving channel, of the plurality of second receiving channels and different from the single second receiving channel, is configured to provide, based on a third RF signal, a fourth digital baseband signal, 
 wherein the first digital baseband signal, the second digital baseband signal, the third digital baseband signal, and the fourth digital baseband signal are different from each other; and 
 
 at least one processor configured to:
 receive the first digital baseband signal, the third digital baseband signal, and at least one of the second digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal, 
 determine information indicative of a deviation between the first phase, associated with the first digital baseband signal, and the second phase, associated with the third digital baseband signal, and 
 modify, based on the information indicative of the deviation, at least one of the second digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The radar system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second digital baseband signal and the fourth digital baseband signal are each modified based on the information indicative of the deviation. 
     
     
       3. The radar system as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of receiving antennas coupled to the first RF input ports and the second RF input ports,
 wherein a first receiving antenna of the plurality of receiving antennas is coupled both to the single first receiving channel and to the single second receiving channel via the power divider. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The radar system as claimed in  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a transmitting channel, integrated in the first radar chip, configured to output an RF output signal at an RF output port of the transmitting channel,
 wherein the RF output port is coupled to an input of the power divider. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The radar system as claimed in  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a coupler, coupled to the first receiving antenna and the RF output port of the transmitting channel, configured to feed both the RF output signal and an antenna signal, supplied by the first receiving antenna, as an RF signal to the power divider. 
 
     
     
       6. The radar system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first radar chip further comprises a local oscillator configured to generate a local oscillator signal, and
 wherein the local oscillator is coupled to the plurality of first receiving channels and the plurality of second receiving channels, and 
 wherein the plurality of receiving channels and the second plurality of receiving channels are configured to mix a respective RF signal, received at a respective RF input port, with the local oscillator signal. 
 
     
     
       7. The radar system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is at least partly integrated in a semiconductor chip connected to the first radar chip and the second radar chip via a communication connection, via which information relating to the first digital baseband signal, the third digital baseband signal, and the at least one of the second digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal is transmitted. 
     
     
       8. The radar system as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the first radar chip and the second radar chip each includes a digital frontend configured to digitally preprocess the first digital baseband signal, the third digital baseband signal, and the at least one of the second digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal before transmission via the communication connection. 
     
     
       9. The radar system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first radar chip and the second radar chip are configured to operate in parallel with each other. 
     
     
       10. A method, comprising:
 forwarding a radio frequency (RF) signal to only:
 a first receiving channel of a plurality of first receiving channels of a first radar chip, and 
 a second receiving channel of a plurality of second receiving channels of a second radar chip; 
 
 generating first digital baseband signals in the plurality of first receiving channels based on first RF signals, including the RF signal, fed to first RF input ports of the plurality of first receiving channels; 
 generating second digital baseband signals in the plurality of second receiving channels based on second RF signals, including the RF signal, fed to second RF input ports of the plurality of second receiving channels; 
 determining information relating to a deviation between a first phase, associated with a first digital baseband signal of the first digital baseband signals, and a second phase, associated with a second digital baseband signal of the second digital baseband signals,
 wherein the first digital baseband signal and the second digital baseband signal are each determined based on the RF signal; and 
 
 modifying, based on the information relating to the deviation, at least one of:
 a third digital baseband signal, associated with a first RF signal of the first RF signals and different from the RF signal, fed to another first receiving channel of the plurality of first receiving channels, or 
 a fourth digital baseband signal, associated with a second RF signal of the second RF signals and different from the RF signal, fed to another second receiving channel of the plurality of second receiving channels. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The method as claimed in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 dividing the RF signal via an RF power divider,
 wherein the divided RF signal is forwarded to the first receiving channel and the second receiving channel. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The method as claimed in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 transforming the first digital baseband signal and the second digital baseband signal into a frequency domain; and 
 determining the first phase at a specific frequency of the first digital baseband signal and the second phase at the specific frequency of the second digital baseband signal,
 wherein determining information relating to the deviation comprises ascertaining the deviation in the first phase and the second phase. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the third digital baseband signal and the fourth digital baseband signal are each modified based on the information relating to the deviation. 
     
     
       14. The method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein modifying the at least one the third digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal comprises:
 adapting, based on the information relating to the deviation, at least one of a third phase, associated with the third digital baseband signal, or a fourth phase, associated with the fourth digital baseband signal. 
 
     
     
       15. The method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein determining information relating to the deviation is carried out by at least one processor which is integrated in a semiconductor chip and which is connected to the first radar chip and the second radar chip via a digital communication connection. 
     
     
       16. A radar system, comprising:
 a first radar chip comprising a plurality of first receiving channels comprising first radio frequency (RF) input ports,
 wherein only a single first receiving channel, of the plurality of first receiving channels, is configured to provide, based on a first RF signal, a first digital baseband signal associated with a first phase; 
 
 a second radar chip comprising a plurality of second receiving channels comprising second RF input ports,
 wherein only a single second receiving channel, of the plurality of second receiving channels, is configured to provide, based on the first RF signal, a second digital baseband signal associated with a second phase; and 
 
 at least one processor configured to:
 receive the first digital baseband signal, the second digital baseband signal, and at least one of a third digital baseband signal or a fourth digital baseband signal,
 wherein at least one of:
 the third digital baseband signal is associated with a second RF signal and another first receiving channel of the plurality of first receiving channels, or 
 the fourth digital baseband signal is associated with a third RF signal and another second receiving channel of the plurality of second receiving channels, and 
 
 
 determine information indicative of a deviation between the first phase, associated with the first digital baseband signal, and the second phase, associated with the second digital baseband signal; and 
 modify, based on the information indicative of the deviation, the at least one of the third digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The radar system as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the first radar chip and the second radar chip are configured to operate in parallel with each other. 
     
     
       18. The radar system as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a plurality of receiving antennas coupled to the first RF input ports and the second RF input ports,
 wherein a single receiving antenna of the plurality of receiving antennas is coupled both to the single first receiving channel and to the single second receiving channel via a power divider. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The radar system as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the third digital baseband signal and the fourth digital baseband signal are each modified based on the information indicative of the deviation. 
     
     
       20. The radar system of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one processor is at least partly integrated in a semiconductor chip connected to the first radar chip and the second radar chip via a communication connection, via which information relating to the first digital baseband signal, the second digital baseband signal, and the at least one of the third digital baseband signal or the fourth digital baseband signal is transmitted.